Emergency Start Question

PSNI

Member
Aug 2, 2017
60
Boat Info
2000 380
Engines
Mercruiser 8.1 MAG (2005)
I had to have TowBoat US provide a jump start today.

After being at anchor about 1 1/2 hours with the fridge, stereo and phone charging on DC power, the port engine would not start. The voltage shows around 12.1 VDC.

No problem. I've got redundancy with my generator and/or emergency start switch.

Triple witching hour. My generator shut off after running for one minute with a cooling system error. I suspect a bad impeller as the strainer was clear.

With the starboard engine running, I activated the emergency start switch. I could hear the solenoid click and saw the voltage jump from 12.1v to around 12.5v. It was doing something...but not enough to start the engine.

After getting the jump start from Towboat, the port engine showed over 13v and I ran it for about 20 mins to the gas dock to fill up. It started without hesitation after refueling.

It might be time for new batteries. The boat was new to me last year. The flooded Deka Marine Masters appear to be 2015 vintage. The cells were quite dry after spending the winter in the boat with the charger on.

My question is: what could be going on with the emergency start switch? It seemed to be activated but did not provide enough power to start port engine. What should be the expectation with a running starboard engine.

I'll add jumper cables to boat tool collection.
 
Using the emergency start is like getting a boost in a car you need to let the battery charge up. You need to run the good engine at 1500 RPM to get the generator to charge the batteries. If the plates were dry the batteries are no good.
 
batteriesplus.com is your friend. 10% off if you buy online and then pick up at your local store.

The port batteries must really be dead if the emergency start function didn't work.

I changed all 3 of my batteries this year to AGM deep cycle batteries and the engines and generator love them. If you change from flooded batteries to AGM or another type just make sure to change your charger settings.

Question: What kind of charger is currently in your boat? If it's not one of the smart chargers that turn off and go to a maintenance mode when batteries are charged. It would be a great investment to protect your new batteries.
 
+1 on Batteries Plus. I couldn't find a better deal last year when I went through this process.

Do 'em all now and enjoy the piece of mind!
 
Did you hold the emergency start switch down while trying to start the port engine? It also helps to run the engine that is running at a fast idle. You may need to hold the ES switch down for several minutes in order to put an initial charge into the dead battery.
 
Thanks for the replies and recommendations.

I did not hold the switch down. I thought it was on/off. Ugh. I did notice the voltage on the port go up and then down quickly when I engaged/disengaged the switch....another lesson learned.

Thankfully, the tow boat was there in 30 mins. Great service in the upper Chesapeake.

The charger is the original Promatic. I believe it's a 30-3. It's a 3 step charger. The manual says it support Gel Cell via a dip switch setting. Not sure if the default (Lead/Acid) supports AGM.
 

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Thanks for the recommendation. Looks good.
 

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